1. Technical Field
This document relates to materials and methods involved in assessing inflammatory bowel disease patients at risk for developing cancer. For example, this document relates to materials and methods for monitoring colorectal cancer risk in ulcerative colitis patients.
2. Background Information
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to chronic diseases that cause inflammation in the intestine. The major types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). Crohn's disease and UC differ in the location and nature of the inflammation. Crohn's disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, though it most commonly affects the terminal ileum and parts of the large intestine. Ulcerative colitis is an idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic, relapsing mucosal inflammation primarily limited to the colon and rectum. Patients with longstanding and extensive IBD are at increased risk to develop colorectal cancer (CRC). Because of this, patients with IBD are advised to undergo surveillance colonoscopy and biopsy, every one to two years, wherein biopsy samples are histologically evaluated for the presence of pre-cancerous changes (colorectal dysplasia) or CRC.